Driving Me Crazy

Chapter 58

The muffled sounds of the tape start to play; Cez works on the volume overhead and once Mario's voice blows out the speakers, the room is silenced. His words to me just a mere minutes ago float through the air.  Him telling me I need to choose my career over his daughter.  Him threatening to take it all away from me if I don't choose wisely.  Camila turns to me with wide eyes and I can't miss the hint of anger she has written on her face, but also sadness.  I keep my distance, but all I want is to wrap her up in my arms and take her away from this madness; shield her from the monster that is Mario Cabello.

As the tape continues to play, audible gasps, heads shaking and people actually leaving the party starts to ensue. All incredibly shocked and unimpressed with Mario's behavior. I feel like I should be on top; but the more damning information comes out, the closer we get to the parts I know only James, Sinu and I know about.

I'm about to blindside my girl yet again; and while a part of me wants to stop this madness, a part of me wants the whole world to know her dad is not who he says he is. That my idol is a phony, a fake, a fraud.

No one threatens me, my career or the people I love.  His open threats keep playing over and over as the tape starts to play the content James got from the night of the phone call before Mario asked me to go to Monaco with him.

At this point I don't know how much Camila knows; if anything about her father.  She seems glued to where she's standing, only a few feet from me.  I still can't really read her and it scares me.  I feel like what I've done is just unleashed her worst nightmare; I know what's to come is going to potentially ruin everything.

I put Mario Cabello on a pedestal because he was the best at what I loved.  Watching him race made me short of breath sometimes because I was so in love with what he does and what he's done.  It seems as though that's what we do though. As a society, a people that enjoy entertainment; we put our idols on such high platforms that if something ever happens to change that; the fall is magnificent.  They become that monster that invades our dreams because when you think someone is perfect for so long and they turn out not to be; what do you have left to believe in?

The phone call portion ends and even after hearing it for the second time, my blood boils a little.  How big of an idiot did Mario think I was?  What angers me more is that I actually gave into him.  I let him win because I thought he knew his own daughter better than I did.  My blinders were on and the one person I should have made the decision with was the last person to know.

More content of Mario's transgressions play.  The internal smile I wear fading because I know what's about to play is going to shock everyone; and potentially make me lose Camila forever.  However, it's too late.  My voice and James' come over the speakers.

"When did you find out about this?" You hear me ask.

"My mom and I have known for awhile, but the more damning evidence just came to light." James says.

"I can't believe this.  Does Camila know?"

"No.  But she idolizes my father as much as you do; telling her this would crush her."

"We have to tell her!"

"Shawn, we tell her now and she will go ballistic.  She might ruin the plan because she's already killed our father for destroying our family." We hear James sigh.

My eyes meet Camila's and now I know she's angry.  She's hurt; you can see it all over her body.  Her face twisted in a mix of shock, sadness and disgust; her hands covering her mouth; her body hanging not so tough anymore. It's like she's just been shot; and I pulled the trigger.

"The world will know that my father is a cheater." James says. "His last wins will mean nothing. The crash that almost killed him... all staged. He hit a low point in his career and needed to find a way to get on top." You hear him continue.

As planned, right on cue everyone's phones beep with a news blast. "The Demise of Mario Cabello" an interview with Sinu, James and myself, done by Cez and his separate media team. More gasps, tears and ultimately an overwhelming sense of betrayal can be felt in the room.

"Stop the tape right now you vile little boy!" Mario screams. "How dare you, little bastard! Getting my wife and son involved in your little games! No wonder my daughter hates you!" He seethes with a sick chuckle. In his rage he charges after me; I brace for impact, but it never comes.

"Stay the hell away from my son; and the hell away from Camila!" My dad growls at Mario, now holding a bloody nose in the palm of his hand. "That punch will be the least of your worries when I'm done with you Mario." My dad warns. "How dare you threaten my son; my boy who idolized you!" He yells. Turning to Camila, my dad points at her. "And how dare you destroy your daughter. How dare you turn her life upside down for your own sick pleasure. I have a daughter and if I ever did something like that to her, I don't think I could forgive myself."

I've never seen my dad so angry; but his words seem to kick Mario while he's already down. He walks over to Camila, who's now visibly shaking and holding back tears, or anger, or both. I can't tell.

My dad wraps his arms around her as she about collapses before putting the final nail in Mario's coffin. "You will never hurt her again. You are no longer welcome in this house; and Camila here, who is like a daughter to me is welcome to stay here for as long as she like until she can get the hell away from you." Turning to her mother and James, he extends a hand to Sinu as my mom comes over and they all hug. The plan after the tape was released was that the Cabello's could stay with us until Mario's mansion could be redone into what Sinu wanted. There's more to the story... but all I care about right now is Camila.

I see her slap her brother across the face and before my parents or her mother can stop her, she's running away. I have an idea of where she's going, she won't leave the property, there's too much going on still, but I know I have to follow her. I need to make this right.

More commotion ensues as the interview now plays on the tape overhead and Mario is taken away by the police. Not only did we find out that he cheated to win races; we found out that he had stolen millions from the racing foundation in an attempt to keep people quiet.

Watching my idol be handcuffed and dragged out of my house should have given me more joy than it did, but I knew that in the process I would hurt the only thing I have left to live for. It was a necessary evil at the time and now that the fallout of Mario Cabello is world news; I have one goal; one plan in mind.

Finding my girl and fixing all this. Being the man I should have been for her all along. Letting my ego go and my vulnerability come to light. It's time to literally pour my soul out to the love of my life and hope like hell I don't fall.